anorexic

I have this friend who eat only like 800 calories a day. But she is over weight. Can you be anorexic yet still be over weight?

Thanks!!

no.

Yes you can be anorexic and overweight still. It doesnt matter what you weigh, if you are depriving your body of needed calories than there is concern for an eating disorder.

While the resource I checked (something-fishy.org) specifically lists "refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, or is at 85% of the recommended weight for their age and height", the site does specifically say:

"A sufferer DOES NOT need to appear underweight or even "average" to suffer ANY of these signs and symptoms. Many men and women with Eating Disorders appear NOT to be underweight... it does not mean they suffer less or are in any less danger."

You could get into a discussion about whether or not it's technically anorexia, but at the very least, it's EDNOS (eating disorder, not otherwise specified), and is very unhealthy and damaging behavior.

yes, of course.

exactly what cgirl said. many anorexics begin being overweight, and starve themselves until they become underweight or "clinically anorexic". You should talk to her and tell her that this is not a healthy way of dieting and it can be detrimental to her health. If she refuses to eat at least 1200 calories a day she may have a serious problem and you should ask her to consider counselling.

a lot of people use the term 'anorexic' to mean the eating disorder 'anorexia nervosa'

technically, anorexic just means emaciated, wasted away, extreme thinness -- it's the 'nervosa' part that brings the eating disorder into it

a person can be overweight and have an eating disorder, or they might just have disordered eating... or maybe they just don't have good information to go on

Anyway, here is a calculator with lots of information including calorie information for teenagers.  

http://www.kidsnutrition.org/bodycomp/bmiz2.h tml

More Good Information on Calorie Guidelines, Health, Exercise and Nutrition for Teenagers.

Nutrition, Exercise & Weight Management for Teens

Here's a place with information on nutrition and health issues for Teenagers.

Nutrition & Health for Teens 

This article explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter productive.

Dieting & Metabolism

This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time.

The Body Neglected

And here is where you can find information about dealing with eating disorders should you have any concerns or questions about this kind of stuff.

Something-Fishy.org

Maybe you can share some of this information with your friend and help each other come up with healthy eating plans.

:)

its also very possible that she is eating a lot more than she tells you or what you see her eating, thus her being overweight. however, if this is what is happening, it's still very disordered eating and you should follow the above reply's advice.

actually, you can't be overweight and be anorexic. to be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa you have to have a bmi of under 17.5 or be under 85% of your ideal body weight. it sounds like it is possible that she is heading toward anorexia. get her help before it's too late.

She may be bulimic ... maybe eats (high calorie foods) and binges...

Lots of bulimics may be average to overweight in size... this is because of binging! Purging never gets rid of all the cals with a binge!  You should talk to her, she may have an eating disorder..

It can definitely happen if the body goes into "starvation mode" where it kinda realizes it's not getting enough calories so instead of burning existing fat, it conserves energy by slowing down the metabolism.

If you have the patience, this is a great article that explains it very well.

Skip down to the "Why is she not Losing Weight" section - it's about a page length down.

According to the DSM-IV  to meet the diagnosis for anorexia nervosa  you have to:-

• Have a BMI of less than 17.5, failiure to maintain 15% of bodyweight

• Missed 3 consecutive periods

Now that's not to say she doesn't have an eating disorder, she could be ED-NOS or a subclinical anorexic (not meeting the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa)